E-Book Overview
Breaking away from the traditional nature/nurture dialectic, this study brings together biological, psychological and cultural perspectives on development. It asserts that the biological bases of behavior and cultural context should be approached in an integrated fashion to properly understand ontogenetic development and the constraints and opportunities for development. It also examines influences on developmental theory and the extent to which cultural ideas and practices reflect biological and psychological constraints.
E-Book Content
Between Culture and Biology
Most of the literature on ontogenetic development follows either a cultural or a biological perspective, defying attempts at integration. Between Culture and Biology challenges this trend by presenting these divergent perspectives and reflecting their differences and similarities. The chapters emphasize and focus on the degree to which human development is actually embedded within both culture and biology. The book describes the constraints and opportunities for development that derive from both areas, and examines how they can vary according to differing environments and different developmental domains. The authors themselves come from different scientific sub-disciplines and varying indigenous backgrounds. Their work, mostly based on the presentations and discussions that took place during an organized symposium, provides a unique analysis and comparison of widely differing approaches to the common issue. heidi keller is Professor of Psychology at the Department of Psychology of the University of Osnabr¨uck, Germany. ype h. poortinga is Professor of Cross-Cultural Psychology at Tilburg University in the Netherlands and at the University of Leuven in Belgium. ¨ axel sch olmerich is Professor of Psychology at the Department of Developmental Psychology of the Ruhr-University, Bochum.
Cambridge Stud